Plant Watering Tips
Watering mistakes kill plants sooner
than nearly any other factor, and letting
plants sit in standing water is one of the
common ones. J. P. Casey, author of Treatise
on the Culture and Growth of Different
Sorts of Flower Roots, and of Green
House Plants Kept in Rooms (1821),
notes: “All green house plants… must be
constantly supplied with water, which
should be always applied on the tops of
the pots, and from no consideration
whatever should any be suffered to
remain in the water-pans under the pots,
particularly in the winter season.”
Garden writer Sally Cunningham, of
East Aurora, New York, says that most
gardeners who grow houseplants learn
quickly to water carefully. “But I see a
common mistake when the plants go out
for the summer. A lot of gardeners still keep the plants in saucers, to protect their
deck or patio from stains.Then when the
rains come, they forget to dump the
saucers. Plants that did well all winter
indoors suddenly are suffering from
soggy soil, oxygen deprivation, and rootrot
diseases. So remove those saucers or
dump water after it rains!”
Excerpt from 1,001 Old-Time Household Hints—brought to you by Skyhorse Publishing
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An excellent tip for sure. Also adding a bit of sand to the beds doesn’t hurt either!
I use little “pot feet” under the pots, they keep the plants from sitting in stale water which can also attract mosquitoes. Some are very whimsical.